Inspired by my friend (and fellow 2009 WU grad), Lauren, who is serving as a PCV in Nicaragua, I am putting up the packing list that I wish I had had when I was leaving for Kenya. This will probably be very boring for non-PCVs, sorry about that!
First of all, I want to let all future PC/Kenya vols know that there is this little store called Nakumatt here, and it is more or less a Kenyan version of Wal-Mart. There is next to nothing that you cannot get at a Nakumatt and there are many all over Kenya, so don’t stress about bringing things that you can buy here (probably for cheaper, and then you don’t have to carry it). Also, keep in mind this list is coming from a female PCV…
Clothes: There are lots of excellent used clothes markets where you can get cheap clothes; you can also have tailors make skirts for you from local fabric. But during training your opportunities to go shop for clothes will be limited, so make sure you pack enough to last you a few months at least.
A few pairs of khakis and jeans (for weekends, travel, going out when in the big cities)
Skirts (for work, as a teacher I wear a skirt every day, and they should be past the knees)
Shirts (maybe a button down or two for work, plain semi-fitted t shirts work well for most occasions and also comfy t-shirts to work out in/garden/weekend wear etc.)
A slip (there kind of a big deal here, but they are easy to find in country)
Undergarments (I suggest a 2 year supply, the selection here is not the greatest, and I highly recommend ex-officio and I think PCVs get a discount, check on peacecorpswiki)
A nice out fit for swearing in
A scarf or shawl (dresses up outfits, also easily found in country)
A few outfits for going out (I wish someone had told me that I would be enjoying the night life every once and a while so I could have packed accordingly)
Workout clothes (baggy basketball shorts have worked well for me, nothing too tight)
Pajamas (You will probably be spending time with your host family in the evening and maybe in the morning in your pajamas, or at site you will be walking from your house to your bathroom in your pjs so think about that when choosing)
A light jacket (it does get cold)
A thin rain jacket (rainy season…)
Sweats/sweatshirt (if you have room left in your luggage)
Shoes:
1-2 pairs of tevas/chacos sandals
1-2 pairs of dressy shoes/sandals
1 pair athletic shoes
I packed a pair of hiking boots and I haven’t used them once, I just wear my tevas or the nikes I brought, so I don’t recommend bringing any unless you’re big into hiking. Bata is a shoe store found all over Kenya and they have great shoes for cheap (including shower shoes that you will need).
Toiletries:
PC medical will give you a med kit that includes all the OTC drugs you could ever want (pain reliever, allergy meds, tummy meds, cough and cold meds, and vitamins) plus lots of other fun stuff (sunscreen, bug spray, tweezers, condoms, hand sanitizer, floss, a thermometer, and band aids). They will also give you a mosquito net, and lots and lots of shots when you get here. They refill all of the stuff in the kit so don’t waste space brining it with you! PC medical here is Kenya is AMAZING and they take really great care of us, so don’t worry! You do need to bring a 3 month supply of any prescriptions to last you through training, and don’t forget glasses or contacts if you wear them.
Shampoo, conditioner, lotion, almost any kind of hair products, toothpaste, tooth brushes and deodorant can all be found at almost any market and any supermarket, so my suggestion is to only bring as much as you will need for maybe two months while you are in training and then you can stock when you get to site, liquids are heavy to pack (damn weight restrictions on luggage) so if your luggage is overweight just toss these out, you can buy them here!
Tampons (these are expensive in country and the only brand here is ob. I would suggest bringing as many as you can stuff in your luggage)
Electronics, etc.:
Computer (I would say 90% of PCVs here brought one and they are happy they did, they are great to watch movies on, type up proposals and grants, store pictures, and you can get a modem here that lets you get on the internet from almost anywhere)
External hard drive/flash drive
iPod and speakers
camera/memory cards
Kindle -some PCVs have them and they love them, I’m thinking of having my parents bring one over for me when they visit
HEADLAMP, HEADLAMP, HEADLAMP (oh and did I mention extra batteries and bulbs?) –seriously the thing that I use absolutely everyday and would hate to be without!
LED lantern (my house doesn’t have electricity and I ended up asking my parents to send me one, its fairly useless if you have electricity at your site but the power goes out pretty often and its nice to have)
Rechargeable batteries (if your house doesn’t have electricity you can find places in your village where they will charge them for you)
Radio (I hardly ever use mine, and you can buy one in country if you really want one)
Solar charger (again, I hardly ever use mine since there are places to charge things in town and your school or organization might have a generator, solar panels or electricity)
Unlocked phone (I didn’t do this, but some people did, check out Paul Blair’s Kenyan Phone tips blog for more info, lots of phones for sale here and most are very nice so that’s another option)
Miscellaneous:
A pillow/sleeping bag/sheets (you can pack these in those vacuum pack bags to save room)
A multi tool
Bike helmet
Alarm clock
Sewing kit
Water bottle
Solar shower (some PCVs use theirs every day, I hardly ever use mine, but it was light to pack so you might as well)
Camping towel (just bring one, you can buy more easily at nakumatt)
Games (cards are good)
Books (a lot of trading goes on, so just bring one or two)
Journal
Daily planner
Travelers Cheques (your atm card from home and a credit card are good to have to)
Pictures of home (and extra senior photos you have laying around that you can give to host family and friends, they often ask to keep pictures of you)
Gifts for your host family and friends (calendars are great and easy to pack, toys for kids, etc.)
Sporting equipment (I brought a few Frisbees which have been great to have and I recently bought a jump rope so I can do something active in my house)
Powdered drink mix (I especially recommend bringing Gatorade mix because it tastes way better than ORS and you can’t find it here)
Spices are easy to find in any supermarket so don’t worry about packing any
A world map (so you can show people just how far away from home you are, and it’s a great thing to put up in your house to decorate)
The packing list we got included the following: knives, peeler, grater, duct tape, pens, pencils, notebooks, plastic storage bags and containers, umbrella, work gloves and potholders, I would not pack any of these. They are all easily available in country and you won’t need them at all during training while you live with a host family so I think it’s better to wait and buy them after you move to your site.
Luggage:
My luggage consisted of a rolling duffel bag, a backpacking backpack (both as checked luggage) and a small backpack as a carryon.
Hmmmm, I think that might be it. I’m sure I left something out but hopefully someone out there will find this helpful, and if you are packing for PC (in any country) RELAX!!! Anything you really need you can find in country (what do you think the people who live there do…) or you can always have it sent from home!
Also, some general advice: set up power of attorney before you go, or at least put someone on your bank accounts and fill out the IRS form to give someone power to do your taxes. I have had a few snags with my bank account since being here and it is so much easier to have someone in the states (THANK YOU MOM) who can deal with it rather than trying to call internationally (and being put on hold).
If you're reading this as a invitee to PC, CONGRATS!!!
Cheers
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Vacation pictures!
Here are some pictures from my vacation!!
The first one is from our dhow trip when we went snorkeling in Lamu, this is us on the island where we had lunch. From L-R Whitney, Jenny, Jon, Me, Margaret.
A picture of Nicole, Whitney, Me, Jenny, Margaret, and Mary when we went snorkeling between Mombasa and Malindi.
One of the best meals I have had in Kenya! We went to this place twice to get the delicious shwarma!
Lamu = paradise!!! A traditional dhow boat at sunrise.
The first one is from our dhow trip when we went snorkeling in Lamu, this is us on the island where we had lunch. From L-R Whitney, Jenny, Jon, Me, Margaret.
A picture of Nicole, Whitney, Me, Jenny, Margaret, and Mary when we went snorkeling between Mombasa and Malindi.
One of the best meals I have had in Kenya! We went to this place twice to get the delicious shwarma!
Lamu = paradise!!! A traditional dhow boat at sunrise.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Vacation!
Since I last updated I went on an amazing vacation with some other Peace Corps volunteers from my training class. Jenny, Margaret, Whitney and I went to the coast of Kenya and enjoyed a week of warm weather, beautiful beaches and relaxation! It was a nice reward for having completed our first term at our schools and it was really great to get to see and explore a different part of the country (all four of us are posted in the Western portion of Kenya). I must say that the majority of the time we were on the coast I did not feel like I was in Kenya, or Africa at all for that matter. The streets of Old Town Mombasa make you think you are somewhere in the Mediterranean, Malindi is basically a little Italy plopped down on the Kenyan coast, and the influence from India as well as Muslim influence makes for a culturally diverse experience all along the coast, but is especially strong in Lamu. Right now our whole training class is back in Nairobi for our IST (in-service training). We are still 25 strong!!! We’ve been told multiple times how unusual it is that we are all still here! If you remember it was a big deal that all 25 of us were sworn in after training and no one went home during that time and now we still haven’t lost anyone from the program for any reason! (We are beating the odds left and right). IST has been a week of workshops, guest speakers, and sharing ideas/frustrations/successes with one another. Next week I will head back to site and have a few days of down time before the second term starts up. Now, mostly so I can brag, here is a general run-down of our vacation:
• April 9th: Nairobi to Mombasa
o We met up in Nairobi and took the overnight train to Mombasa. The train experience was really fun and interesting! Our second class tickets included: dinner, bedding and breakfast. The train runs through Kibera (the second largest slum in Africa) on its way out of town, and it was interesting to see the structures/people/living conditions, and it went on forever, it’s huge. We also went through beautiful landscape on our route. Starting off with the urban landscape of Nairobi then changing to drier more dessert climates and going through/around the Tsavo National Parks, and then finally the slow change to a tropical, humid, palm tree landscape.
• April 10-11th: Mombasa
o First of all I have to say that the coast is HOT and HUMID!!! And we weren’t even there during the hottest part of the year, but we were extremely happy that the hotel we were staying at had A/C. It’s amazing how the little things become such exciting luxuries when you are used to living in a house without electricity let alone A/C! We spent our time in Mombasa exploring the Old Town, hitting the beaches and checking out Fort Jesus. We ate delicious food (coast = spices) and even went bowling! The beaches are incredibly gorgeous and we enjoyed just lying around with nothing to do, then heading to a beach café to have a Tusker or two. I have pictures on my facebook and there is a link on the sidebar if you want to check it out!
• April 12th: Road to Malindi
o On our way up the coast we stopped in a small town where there is a small business PCV who is working with a community organized conservation center to develop eco-tourism. We went snorkeling with the program he is working with, and it was a really great time. We were also joined by two other PCVs from our training class and had a fun day out in the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean by the way feels like a warm (very very salty) bath. I was shocked by how warm the water was, especially since we were looking forward to getting some relief from the heat in the water, but no such luck, the water is not much cooler that the air temperature. We saw lots and lots of colorful fish and other under the sea creatures. When we finished our snorkel adventure we headed about an hour up the coast to Malindi, by the time we arrived it was late so we just went for dinner and gelato (yesssss gelato! We almost passed out when we entered the shop. Like I said, it’s the little things!).
• April 13th: Malindi
o Gedi ruins! We spent the majority of the morning exploring the Gedi (or Gede) ruins which is just outside of Malindi. I took lots of pictures, so check those out on facebook! The ruins are from the 13th century and are of a Swahili town. The town has multiple mosques, a palace complete with public courts, houses, and tombs. The portion of the ruins that we were able to explore, the part that has been extensively excavated, is the town center. They have found a number of artifacts that show that this establishment was involved in extensive trade during its peak, including beads from Venice, vases from China, a lamp of India, and scissors from Spain. After our ruins exploring we met up with another PCV from our training class who works in a school outside of Malindi. We spent the rest of the day exploring Malindi with her and eating more delicious foods.
• April 14th – 17th: Lamu
o After a long bus ride we arrived in Lamu! Lamu town is located on an island in the Lamu archipelago and it is absolutely gorgeous, I described it as paradise a number of times! The town of Lamu is Kenya’s oldest town and was one of the original Swahili settlements along the coast of East Africa. The town is almost entirely Muslim and has a very rich culture and a really interesting history. One interesting fact about Lamu: there are only 2 cars on the whole island, so the main form of transportation (other than walking and carts) is by donkey. The island even has a donkey sanctuary that we visited when the donkeys can retire after a life of hard work in such a hot climate. There is a PCV from our training class who works in a deaf school on the mainland close to Lamu island who was able to meet up with us and show us around, it was great have a personal tour guide for the time we were there. We enjoyed exploring the small streets, shopping in all the little boutiques all over the place and eating all the delicious food. We had one day where it rained most of the day, so we took that day to check out the Lamu museum and Fort Lamu. The next day we had absolutely gorgeous weather and we were able to take advantage of that and take a dhow trip. A dhow is the traditional sail boats used by the Swahili people. Our dhow trip first took us through a mangrove forest and then took us out into the Indian Ocean to snorkel and fish. The snorkeling was fantastic, and it was amazing to be able to look in any direction and we were the only other people within our view. We fished from the boat with a set up like a kite string spool. The spool had the fishing wire on it, we tied weights at the end and then a hook above that and put a little bait, so in a nutshell it was fishing without a pole. We were able to catch our lunch and then our crew took us to our own private island where they cooked our fish and other delicious food for our lunch. Our meal included coconut rice (a local legend), our fresh (fresh, fresh, fresh) fish fried, a vegetable curry sauce and copious amounts of fresh fruits! The atmosphere, the view and the food made this by far the best meal that I have had since coming to Kenya. Our trip took most of the day, so when we got back to the town we rested up and then had a night out on the town!
• April 17th: Pit stop in Mombasa
o After another long bus ride leaving Lamu we arrived in Mombasa. The trip is too long to make it from Lamu to Nairobi in one day, so we had planned to stay one night in Mombasa on our way back. With all of the coast volunteers (Coast Corps) also headed to Nairobi for training there were lots of PCVs in town that night. It was also a veteran volunteer’s birthday so a lot of other volunteers not from our training class came into town for the night. We did our last minute vacation shopping in town, and then headed out to celebrate the PCVs birthday and to end our vacation with a bang. We ended up at a night club which is basically a parking lot with a few bars around the perimeter and lots of plastic tables and chairs and then people dancing to AMERICAN music wherever there is room. By this time there were about 15 PCVs out and we had a lot of fun taking over the dance floor. You can imagine dancing for a few hours in a hot climate so we were all excited when it started raining on us, so while the Kenyans were all running for cover from the rain, all the wazungu stayed and danced in the rain. Some of us hardcore fun seekers stayed out dancing until 5am, which also included a swim in a nearby pool before we headed back to our hotel. It was an excellent way to end our vacation, and a good time is always had when PCVs get together! Work really really hard, and play hard every once in a while, might be a good way to describe our philosophy.
• April 18th: Back to Nairobi, time for IST
o The downfall to staying out until 5am was having to be up early to catch our 8am bus to Nairobi. We all caught our bus though and then caught up on our sleep on the long ride to Nairobi. Our group was among the last from our training class to arrive at the conference center and it was great to get to see everyone and all be back together again. Like I mentioned before, no one from our training class has left PC/Kenya, and we really are like a second family, so it has been great to be back together after 3 months apart!
I hope I have successfully made you all jealous with the account of my vacation! And I must say that we found it quite humorous when we were snorkeling in the Indian Ocean or having a cold beer on a beautiful pristine beach or dancing all night in Mombasa that this is something we were getting to enjoy during our time in the Peace Corps. I’m sure you picture (just like we did) life more along the lines of mud huts, and modest living… but everyone deserves a vacation right??
Cheers!
• April 9th: Nairobi to Mombasa
o We met up in Nairobi and took the overnight train to Mombasa. The train experience was really fun and interesting! Our second class tickets included: dinner, bedding and breakfast. The train runs through Kibera (the second largest slum in Africa) on its way out of town, and it was interesting to see the structures/people/living conditions, and it went on forever, it’s huge. We also went through beautiful landscape on our route. Starting off with the urban landscape of Nairobi then changing to drier more dessert climates and going through/around the Tsavo National Parks, and then finally the slow change to a tropical, humid, palm tree landscape.
• April 10-11th: Mombasa
o First of all I have to say that the coast is HOT and HUMID!!! And we weren’t even there during the hottest part of the year, but we were extremely happy that the hotel we were staying at had A/C. It’s amazing how the little things become such exciting luxuries when you are used to living in a house without electricity let alone A/C! We spent our time in Mombasa exploring the Old Town, hitting the beaches and checking out Fort Jesus. We ate delicious food (coast = spices) and even went bowling! The beaches are incredibly gorgeous and we enjoyed just lying around with nothing to do, then heading to a beach café to have a Tusker or two. I have pictures on my facebook and there is a link on the sidebar if you want to check it out!
• April 12th: Road to Malindi
o On our way up the coast we stopped in a small town where there is a small business PCV who is working with a community organized conservation center to develop eco-tourism. We went snorkeling with the program he is working with, and it was a really great time. We were also joined by two other PCVs from our training class and had a fun day out in the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean by the way feels like a warm (very very salty) bath. I was shocked by how warm the water was, especially since we were looking forward to getting some relief from the heat in the water, but no such luck, the water is not much cooler that the air temperature. We saw lots and lots of colorful fish and other under the sea creatures. When we finished our snorkel adventure we headed about an hour up the coast to Malindi, by the time we arrived it was late so we just went for dinner and gelato (yesssss gelato! We almost passed out when we entered the shop. Like I said, it’s the little things!).
• April 13th: Malindi
o Gedi ruins! We spent the majority of the morning exploring the Gedi (or Gede) ruins which is just outside of Malindi. I took lots of pictures, so check those out on facebook! The ruins are from the 13th century and are of a Swahili town. The town has multiple mosques, a palace complete with public courts, houses, and tombs. The portion of the ruins that we were able to explore, the part that has been extensively excavated, is the town center. They have found a number of artifacts that show that this establishment was involved in extensive trade during its peak, including beads from Venice, vases from China, a lamp of India, and scissors from Spain. After our ruins exploring we met up with another PCV from our training class who works in a school outside of Malindi. We spent the rest of the day exploring Malindi with her and eating more delicious foods.
• April 14th – 17th: Lamu
o After a long bus ride we arrived in Lamu! Lamu town is located on an island in the Lamu archipelago and it is absolutely gorgeous, I described it as paradise a number of times! The town of Lamu is Kenya’s oldest town and was one of the original Swahili settlements along the coast of East Africa. The town is almost entirely Muslim and has a very rich culture and a really interesting history. One interesting fact about Lamu: there are only 2 cars on the whole island, so the main form of transportation (other than walking and carts) is by donkey. The island even has a donkey sanctuary that we visited when the donkeys can retire after a life of hard work in such a hot climate. There is a PCV from our training class who works in a deaf school on the mainland close to Lamu island who was able to meet up with us and show us around, it was great have a personal tour guide for the time we were there. We enjoyed exploring the small streets, shopping in all the little boutiques all over the place and eating all the delicious food. We had one day where it rained most of the day, so we took that day to check out the Lamu museum and Fort Lamu. The next day we had absolutely gorgeous weather and we were able to take advantage of that and take a dhow trip. A dhow is the traditional sail boats used by the Swahili people. Our dhow trip first took us through a mangrove forest and then took us out into the Indian Ocean to snorkel and fish. The snorkeling was fantastic, and it was amazing to be able to look in any direction and we were the only other people within our view. We fished from the boat with a set up like a kite string spool. The spool had the fishing wire on it, we tied weights at the end and then a hook above that and put a little bait, so in a nutshell it was fishing without a pole. We were able to catch our lunch and then our crew took us to our own private island where they cooked our fish and other delicious food for our lunch. Our meal included coconut rice (a local legend), our fresh (fresh, fresh, fresh) fish fried, a vegetable curry sauce and copious amounts of fresh fruits! The atmosphere, the view and the food made this by far the best meal that I have had since coming to Kenya. Our trip took most of the day, so when we got back to the town we rested up and then had a night out on the town!
• April 17th: Pit stop in Mombasa
o After another long bus ride leaving Lamu we arrived in Mombasa. The trip is too long to make it from Lamu to Nairobi in one day, so we had planned to stay one night in Mombasa on our way back. With all of the coast volunteers (Coast Corps) also headed to Nairobi for training there were lots of PCVs in town that night. It was also a veteran volunteer’s birthday so a lot of other volunteers not from our training class came into town for the night. We did our last minute vacation shopping in town, and then headed out to celebrate the PCVs birthday and to end our vacation with a bang. We ended up at a night club which is basically a parking lot with a few bars around the perimeter and lots of plastic tables and chairs and then people dancing to AMERICAN music wherever there is room. By this time there were about 15 PCVs out and we had a lot of fun taking over the dance floor. You can imagine dancing for a few hours in a hot climate so we were all excited when it started raining on us, so while the Kenyans were all running for cover from the rain, all the wazungu stayed and danced in the rain. Some of us hardcore fun seekers stayed out dancing until 5am, which also included a swim in a nearby pool before we headed back to our hotel. It was an excellent way to end our vacation, and a good time is always had when PCVs get together! Work really really hard, and play hard every once in a while, might be a good way to describe our philosophy.
• April 18th: Back to Nairobi, time for IST
o The downfall to staying out until 5am was having to be up early to catch our 8am bus to Nairobi. We all caught our bus though and then caught up on our sleep on the long ride to Nairobi. Our group was among the last from our training class to arrive at the conference center and it was great to get to see everyone and all be back together again. Like I mentioned before, no one from our training class has left PC/Kenya, and we really are like a second family, so it has been great to be back together after 3 months apart!
I hope I have successfully made you all jealous with the account of my vacation! And I must say that we found it quite humorous when we were snorkeling in the Indian Ocean or having a cold beer on a beautiful pristine beach or dancing all night in Mombasa that this is something we were getting to enjoy during our time in the Peace Corps. I’m sure you picture (just like we did) life more along the lines of mud huts, and modest living… but everyone deserves a vacation right??
Cheers!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Pictures!
I was told that some people were having problems using the link to view my pictures on facebook. I've updated the link and put it in the sidebar right under my disclaimer. Hope this works!
Here it is one more time too:
www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2045872&id=27501679&l=02d9df7ee7
Here it is one more time too:
www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2045872&id=27501679&l=02d9df7ee7
Just for Fun
We are still in the middle of our end term exams, but I'm in Migori running a few errands and getting some paperwork typed and printed for my school. I thought I would share some random stories just for fun!
A Luo Name
When I arrived at Bande I was given a Luo name, and I realized I had never included it on my blog. Being given a Luo name was a very nice and welcoming gesture on the part of my community! In Luo tradition children are given names based on the time of day which they were born. Children can also be named after relatives, or for the kind of weather during which they were born, but by far the most common is to be named for the time of day you are born. Children are also given a "christian" name, which is usually what they go by in school since there are so many students with the same Luo name. It is also much easier for me to pronounce these names, so thats a nice advantage for me! So, since I was born in the morning my Luo name is Akinyi (female names start with A and male names start with O). It is pronounced so that is rhymes with bikini, with the A sound like in awake. So, when I go to the center I am known not at Christine, but as Akinyi!
Laundry
I've decided that doing laundry in Kenya is just like washing your car in America... Some days washing your car is fun and you have a good time, getting soaking wet and being outside in the sunshine. But, other days, washing your car is another annoying chore which takes a lot of time and effort, and you end up soaking wet... Washing clothes in Kenya is exactly the same way for me. I usually do my laundry on Saturdays in the late morning, washing a weeks worth of clothes can take me 2-3 hours from start to finish (depending on how dirty my clothes are, and how clean I want them). Sometimes I really enjoy being out in the sun, I listen to some music and sometimes some students stop by and keep me company. I usually end of fairly soaking wet from the process, but all in all its enjoyable. Other weekends, washing my clothes is the last thing that I want to do, it takes a lot of time and by the end the clothes I'm wearing are wet and I'm sweaty and tired from the process. So, there you have it, washing clothes in Kenya!
Going Green
Oregonians will be very happy with this post! My life is very green here in Kenya. All the water I drink, cook with, use to wash clothes, bathe with, is all from water catchments around the school. The water catchments catch all the water off the roofs of the classrooms, houses and kitchen and store them in giant tanks. In addition to these tanks I can also set out my buckets in a downpour and fill them up that way. The other day there was a huge rain storm and I filled all my buckets (about 30 liters of water) in only 20 minutes! Also in the green department, my school has a solar panel which is what I use to charge my phone, ipod, etc during the day. My house has no electricity, and since my parents were nice enough to send me an LED lantern I now use that to light my house at night, it runs on batteries which are rechargeable, which I can charge from the solar power at my school. I feel so green I could hug a tree!
Entertainment
Since my forms on entertainment are pretty limited, I spend a lot of time reading in the evenings and on the weekends. Thought some of you might enjoy seeing a list of the books I have read since arriving in Kenya.
Say You're One of Them
The Glass Castle
Educating Esme
Water for Elephants
Three Cups of Tea
Under African Skies
Atonement
Staggerford
The Gate Crasher
Remember When
Nine Hills to Nambonkaha
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Survivor
Handle with Care
So, since November I have read a total of 14 books! Its amazing how many books you can read when you don't have TV to distract you. Which reminds me, if anyone feels the desire to send me something, BOOKS!!!! I would love any novels you have laying around!!!
Hope this was at least a little entertaining!
Cheers
-Akinyi
A Luo Name
When I arrived at Bande I was given a Luo name, and I realized I had never included it on my blog. Being given a Luo name was a very nice and welcoming gesture on the part of my community! In Luo tradition children are given names based on the time of day which they were born. Children can also be named after relatives, or for the kind of weather during which they were born, but by far the most common is to be named for the time of day you are born. Children are also given a "christian" name, which is usually what they go by in school since there are so many students with the same Luo name. It is also much easier for me to pronounce these names, so thats a nice advantage for me! So, since I was born in the morning my Luo name is Akinyi (female names start with A and male names start with O). It is pronounced so that is rhymes with bikini, with the A sound like in awake. So, when I go to the center I am known not at Christine, but as Akinyi!
Laundry
I've decided that doing laundry in Kenya is just like washing your car in America... Some days washing your car is fun and you have a good time, getting soaking wet and being outside in the sunshine. But, other days, washing your car is another annoying chore which takes a lot of time and effort, and you end up soaking wet... Washing clothes in Kenya is exactly the same way for me. I usually do my laundry on Saturdays in the late morning, washing a weeks worth of clothes can take me 2-3 hours from start to finish (depending on how dirty my clothes are, and how clean I want them). Sometimes I really enjoy being out in the sun, I listen to some music and sometimes some students stop by and keep me company. I usually end of fairly soaking wet from the process, but all in all its enjoyable. Other weekends, washing my clothes is the last thing that I want to do, it takes a lot of time and by the end the clothes I'm wearing are wet and I'm sweaty and tired from the process. So, there you have it, washing clothes in Kenya!
Going Green
Oregonians will be very happy with this post! My life is very green here in Kenya. All the water I drink, cook with, use to wash clothes, bathe with, is all from water catchments around the school. The water catchments catch all the water off the roofs of the classrooms, houses and kitchen and store them in giant tanks. In addition to these tanks I can also set out my buckets in a downpour and fill them up that way. The other day there was a huge rain storm and I filled all my buckets (about 30 liters of water) in only 20 minutes! Also in the green department, my school has a solar panel which is what I use to charge my phone, ipod, etc during the day. My house has no electricity, and since my parents were nice enough to send me an LED lantern I now use that to light my house at night, it runs on batteries which are rechargeable, which I can charge from the solar power at my school. I feel so green I could hug a tree!
Entertainment
Since my forms on entertainment are pretty limited, I spend a lot of time reading in the evenings and on the weekends. Thought some of you might enjoy seeing a list of the books I have read since arriving in Kenya.
Say You're One of Them
The Glass Castle
Educating Esme
Water for Elephants
Three Cups of Tea
Under African Skies
Atonement
Staggerford
The Gate Crasher
Remember When
Nine Hills to Nambonkaha
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Survivor
Handle with Care
So, since November I have read a total of 14 books! Its amazing how many books you can read when you don't have TV to distract you. Which reminds me, if anyone feels the desire to send me something, BOOKS!!!! I would love any novels you have laying around!!!
Hope this was at least a little entertaining!
Cheers
-Akinyi
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Science Congress/Games/End Term Exams
The term is coming to a close. Sometimes its hard for me to believe how long I have been here in Kenya (going on 5 months), but at the same time it feels like the months are flying by. Kenya's school calendar is year round and has three terms, this first term will end on the 2nd of April and then we will have a month of vacation before the second term starts on May 2nd.
I'm sorry to admit that it has been a very long time since I have updated my blog... In my defense I have been keeping very busy! So, here is a rundown of the things I have been involved with since I last updated.
Science Congress
Science Congress is basically the Kenyan equivalent of what we would call a science fair, with a few differences. Students come up with a project which fits the theme of the year and then present their topic or their project at a meeting with other schools, which are then judged by teachers who have been trained to judge. This years theme was Science and Technology for Economic Recovery. Students can compete in any of the following categories: biology, chemistry, physics, math, technology, computers, home science or agriculture. These categories are subdivided into talks and exhibits.
This year Bande presented 8 projects at the regional competition (not bad considering this is the first year we have participate). Some girls gave talks about genetic engineering of crops, others made charcoal from alternative and locally found materials, one group made a plastic plate from discarded plastic and another tested the concentration of vitamin C in fresh fruit versus store bought juice. My role in the projects was advisor, proof reader and practice audience for all of the groups. All of the project were excellent and it was really great working with the students to improve their projects. I was able to see my students really learning and also saw their self confidence and public speaking skills improve. I was also asked to be trained as a judge in the biology category, so I also served as judge on the day of competition. At the regional competition the top 3 projects from each project move on to compete at the next level. 4 of the projects from Bande were in the top 3! This also placed us 4th overall among the 15 schools that competed from our region.
The sub-provincial competition was last week, and we used every minute of free time, or preps, to prepare the students and their projects. Once again I was asked to serve as a judge, which unfortunately meant I did not get to watch my students present, but it was interesting to see how the other schools performed. In the end, the students did an excellent job with their projects, but none of them will be moving on to the provincial level. The girls should all be very proud of themselves, especially since all the students that had projects advance are only in form 2, meaning they have 2 more years to compete, so this was a great first exposure for them!
Games
Games, or sports, was held a few weeks ago. Even though I am not coaching any of the teams that compete this term I was asked to go along to watch the competition. This term the teams competing were: handball, netball and athletics (track and field). All of the schools from our region compete on the same day, so the day runs more like a large tournament. Bande had an excellent day! Our netball and handball teams won all of their games, which means they will advance to the next level of competition which will be held at the beginning of next term. All of the girls who competed in athletics were among the top 3 in their event and will also be moving on to the next level.
End Term Exams
This week Bande is having our end term exams. I co-wrote the exam for my form 2 biology class (with the teacher who teaches the other form 2 class), and then wrote the form 1 biology and chemistry exams. Over the last couple of days I have been playing review games with all of my classes. This has not only (hopefully) helped my students prepare for exams, but it has provided me with endless entertainment! The concept of playing a game show type game is somewhat foreign, and has been an interesting concept to try and teach my students. They have pretty much gotten the hang of it, except for wagering or betting in the final round. It took my at least 10 minutes to try and clarify this idea, and when I thought I had finally gotten the idea across to all the students and asked each group for their final bet they all bet 50 points (the other questions had been between 100-500 points). I found this incredibly funny and had a good laugh. My mom has since commended me on introducing the concept of gambling to my students, but I maintain that its an important math and reasoning skill!
This more or less brings us to what I'm up to right now. I've made the trip into Migori today in order to do some research on scholarships to help some of my students pay their schools fees. A full year of secondary school at Bande (including room, board, uniforms etc.) costs about 25,000 Kenyan shillings, or about $300. The level of poverty in this region of Kenya is staggering, and even this amount of money is a struggle for the majoirty of families in the area. Some students are sponsored by various organizations, relatives or other individuals. A few of my brightest and most promising students have had recent deaths in the family which have taken their fee-paying relatives, or parents. In an attempt to help them stay in school I am trying to network with any and all NGOs and Kenyan non-profits. As I am unfortunately finding there are many many students who need financial assistance and very few resources out there. But, I will continue to work to try to help these students stay in school.
I'm sorry to admit that it has been a very long time since I have updated my blog... In my defense I have been keeping very busy! So, here is a rundown of the things I have been involved with since I last updated.
Science Congress
Science Congress is basically the Kenyan equivalent of what we would call a science fair, with a few differences. Students come up with a project which fits the theme of the year and then present their topic or their project at a meeting with other schools, which are then judged by teachers who have been trained to judge. This years theme was Science and Technology for Economic Recovery. Students can compete in any of the following categories: biology, chemistry, physics, math, technology, computers, home science or agriculture. These categories are subdivided into talks and exhibits.
This year Bande presented 8 projects at the regional competition (not bad considering this is the first year we have participate). Some girls gave talks about genetic engineering of crops, others made charcoal from alternative and locally found materials, one group made a plastic plate from discarded plastic and another tested the concentration of vitamin C in fresh fruit versus store bought juice. My role in the projects was advisor, proof reader and practice audience for all of the groups. All of the project were excellent and it was really great working with the students to improve their projects. I was able to see my students really learning and also saw their self confidence and public speaking skills improve. I was also asked to be trained as a judge in the biology category, so I also served as judge on the day of competition. At the regional competition the top 3 projects from each project move on to compete at the next level. 4 of the projects from Bande were in the top 3! This also placed us 4th overall among the 15 schools that competed from our region.
The sub-provincial competition was last week, and we used every minute of free time, or preps, to prepare the students and their projects. Once again I was asked to serve as a judge, which unfortunately meant I did not get to watch my students present, but it was interesting to see how the other schools performed. In the end, the students did an excellent job with their projects, but none of them will be moving on to the provincial level. The girls should all be very proud of themselves, especially since all the students that had projects advance are only in form 2, meaning they have 2 more years to compete, so this was a great first exposure for them!
Games
Games, or sports, was held a few weeks ago. Even though I am not coaching any of the teams that compete this term I was asked to go along to watch the competition. This term the teams competing were: handball, netball and athletics (track and field). All of the schools from our region compete on the same day, so the day runs more like a large tournament. Bande had an excellent day! Our netball and handball teams won all of their games, which means they will advance to the next level of competition which will be held at the beginning of next term. All of the girls who competed in athletics were among the top 3 in their event and will also be moving on to the next level.
End Term Exams
This week Bande is having our end term exams. I co-wrote the exam for my form 2 biology class (with the teacher who teaches the other form 2 class), and then wrote the form 1 biology and chemistry exams. Over the last couple of days I have been playing review games with all of my classes. This has not only (hopefully) helped my students prepare for exams, but it has provided me with endless entertainment! The concept of playing a game show type game is somewhat foreign, and has been an interesting concept to try and teach my students. They have pretty much gotten the hang of it, except for wagering or betting in the final round. It took my at least 10 minutes to try and clarify this idea, and when I thought I had finally gotten the idea across to all the students and asked each group for their final bet they all bet 50 points (the other questions had been between 100-500 points). I found this incredibly funny and had a good laugh. My mom has since commended me on introducing the concept of gambling to my students, but I maintain that its an important math and reasoning skill!
This more or less brings us to what I'm up to right now. I've made the trip into Migori today in order to do some research on scholarships to help some of my students pay their schools fees. A full year of secondary school at Bande (including room, board, uniforms etc.) costs about 25,000 Kenyan shillings, or about $300. The level of poverty in this region of Kenya is staggering, and even this amount of money is a struggle for the majoirty of families in the area. Some students are sponsored by various organizations, relatives or other individuals. A few of my brightest and most promising students have had recent deaths in the family which have taken their fee-paying relatives, or parents. In an attempt to help them stay in school I am trying to network with any and all NGOs and Kenyan non-profits. As I am unfortunately finding there are many many students who need financial assistance and very few resources out there. But, I will continue to work to try to help these students stay in school.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Random Moments
A few random moments which I hope can bring you some laughs and smiles
Locks in Kenya are almost all padlocks. I have a padlock to lock my front door and another that I use to lock my bedroom door. A major downfall of padlocks is that you can lock them even when you have NO IDEA where the keys are. I had a lovely run in with this fact. The other morning I woke up and got ready for school as usual and then headed off to school, I locked my room and then froze, realizing too late that I had just locked my purse, phone and keys in my room. I contemplated scaling the walls of my room since they dont reach my roof (there is no ceiling between my walls and tin roof), but first I attempted to reach the keys through my bedroom window. All my windows have bars on them so this was no east feat, but thanks to another teacher who happened to be walking by, we were able to get a branch from a tree and scoop up by purse from the window... crisis averted.
Transportation is a constant source of entertainment here in Kenya. I've described matatus previously on my blog, but matatus are rare between Migori and my village of Bande. Instead, there are station wagons which are called olwendas (cockroach in Luo). All these station wagons are in some sort of disrepair, whether its cracks in the windshield, spares on the tires, duct tape holding parts in place, and none of them have doors which you can open from the inside. Now, when you think about a station wagon you are probably thinking that they seat 4 passengers plus a driver. Well, you are mistaken. These olwendas can carry 16 adults if the need arises (and the need seems to arise on every trip). How is this accomplished you might ask? Well, the driver routinely shares his seat with another passenger, two more passengers share the front seat, 5 adults cram in the middle seat and 6 are in the trunk. Oh, thats only 15? I must have forgotten to mention that the tout is sitting on the window sill of the front seat, legs in the car but with his body outside while he holds onto the roof. There are also numerous combinations of adults and children that can cram into the olwendas, and dont forget the chickens and yes, even goats, which occasionally also make the trip!
Trousers vs pants. Friends vs coworkers.
Oh cultural differences and the never ending language barrier that inevitably turns into an embarrassing moment for the mzungu. Here in Kenya when you talk about pants you are actually talking about underwear, when you want to say pants you have to say trousers or you have just made a rather embarrassing social blunder. Also, there is no such thing as a man and a woman being friends here. If you are just friends with a person of the opposite sex you say they are your coworker, classmate or some other descriptor which explains how you know them. If you say that you are friends with someone of the opposite sex it means you are having a love affair with them. During our cultural training all the trainees were told all of these things, but that doesnt mean its not easy to slip up here. During my first life skills class I had my form 1 students ask me all the questions that they had about America. The questions that I get asked are always entertaining (maybe I'll include a blog listing all those questions), but one was about whether students in America wear uniforms to school. I answered with most dont, but schools have a dress code. When they asked what I used to wear to school I say just pants and a shirt... OOPS! I meant trousers and a shirt, but it was too late the class had already burst out laughing at my mix up! The students also wanted to know about the 2 other Peace Corps volunteers in the area, both of which happen to be male. I told them what schools they work at and their names, then a student asked if either one of them was my friend. I answered, without even thinking about it, "Of course! They're both my friends!" OOPS!!!! No, I meant they are both my coworkers, we get along well... but, too late the class was already in stitches again!
Being a mzungu in rural Kenya for awhile now, I am no longer phased by being stared at, poked and prodded by interested children or by making a fool of myself, it all comes with the territory! Just like we were told in training, our sense of humor will really come in handy over there 2 years!
Locks in Kenya are almost all padlocks. I have a padlock to lock my front door and another that I use to lock my bedroom door. A major downfall of padlocks is that you can lock them even when you have NO IDEA where the keys are. I had a lovely run in with this fact. The other morning I woke up and got ready for school as usual and then headed off to school, I locked my room and then froze, realizing too late that I had just locked my purse, phone and keys in my room. I contemplated scaling the walls of my room since they dont reach my roof (there is no ceiling between my walls and tin roof), but first I attempted to reach the keys through my bedroom window. All my windows have bars on them so this was no east feat, but thanks to another teacher who happened to be walking by, we were able to get a branch from a tree and scoop up by purse from the window... crisis averted.
Transportation is a constant source of entertainment here in Kenya. I've described matatus previously on my blog, but matatus are rare between Migori and my village of Bande. Instead, there are station wagons which are called olwendas (cockroach in Luo). All these station wagons are in some sort of disrepair, whether its cracks in the windshield, spares on the tires, duct tape holding parts in place, and none of them have doors which you can open from the inside. Now, when you think about a station wagon you are probably thinking that they seat 4 passengers plus a driver. Well, you are mistaken. These olwendas can carry 16 adults if the need arises (and the need seems to arise on every trip). How is this accomplished you might ask? Well, the driver routinely shares his seat with another passenger, two more passengers share the front seat, 5 adults cram in the middle seat and 6 are in the trunk. Oh, thats only 15? I must have forgotten to mention that the tout is sitting on the window sill of the front seat, legs in the car but with his body outside while he holds onto the roof. There are also numerous combinations of adults and children that can cram into the olwendas, and dont forget the chickens and yes, even goats, which occasionally also make the trip!
Trousers vs pants. Friends vs coworkers.
Oh cultural differences and the never ending language barrier that inevitably turns into an embarrassing moment for the mzungu. Here in Kenya when you talk about pants you are actually talking about underwear, when you want to say pants you have to say trousers or you have just made a rather embarrassing social blunder. Also, there is no such thing as a man and a woman being friends here. If you are just friends with a person of the opposite sex you say they are your coworker, classmate or some other descriptor which explains how you know them. If you say that you are friends with someone of the opposite sex it means you are having a love affair with them. During our cultural training all the trainees were told all of these things, but that doesnt mean its not easy to slip up here. During my first life skills class I had my form 1 students ask me all the questions that they had about America. The questions that I get asked are always entertaining (maybe I'll include a blog listing all those questions), but one was about whether students in America wear uniforms to school. I answered with most dont, but schools have a dress code. When they asked what I used to wear to school I say just pants and a shirt... OOPS! I meant trousers and a shirt, but it was too late the class had already burst out laughing at my mix up! The students also wanted to know about the 2 other Peace Corps volunteers in the area, both of which happen to be male. I told them what schools they work at and their names, then a student asked if either one of them was my friend. I answered, without even thinking about it, "Of course! They're both my friends!" OOPS!!!! No, I meant they are both my coworkers, we get along well... but, too late the class was already in stitches again!
Being a mzungu in rural Kenya for awhile now, I am no longer phased by being stared at, poked and prodded by interested children or by making a fool of myself, it all comes with the territory! Just like we were told in training, our sense of humor will really come in handy over there 2 years!
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